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User blog:DanceGuy151/DanceGuy’s Album Listening
This blog was inspired by ChristinaGrimmieLove. Hello everyone, I thought a good way to start 2018 would be to discover new music! Please leave recommendations for albums to listen to in the comments and, after listening, I’ll give it a rating and list my favorite songs. Please note that I won’t review any albums I’ve already listened do, so please refrain from listing albums that appear in the CDs section on my userpage, as I’ve clearly already heard those albums. I’ll leave my Album reviews in the blogpost. I may also select some albums I’ve wanted to listen to for awhile and review those as well. Pop 2 by Charli XCX I decided to start out with an album that I picked for myself, because I've been wanting to listen to this album for so long. I've been a fan of Charli since Break the Rules, and the only release since then that I've skipped out on is Number 1 Angel. I've heard stellar reviews of this album, and let's just say that I've been a little let down... My biggest problem with the album is its production. For example, I would have loved Lucky and Track 10 had Charli not sounded like a robot in those songs. Tears, meanwhile, had some odd screaming going on in the background. Then there were songs like Unlock It and I Got It that were just plain annoying and repetitive. Another issue was the overloading of featured artists. When the mixtape is only 10 songs long, over 10 featured artists is just way too much. This didn't even feel like Charli's mixtape. It felt like a random mashup of artists that rarely worked. I was super disappointed with Backseat, as I'm a huge Carly Rae Jepsen fan as well. That song could have been great, but again, the overproduction present throughout the album killed the song. Granted, this album did have its moments. I loved Out of My Head, Femmebot, and Porsche. These were the songs where Charli wasn't overpowered by overproduction. Okay, so I was very disappointed in this album, especially with the reviews that it's been getting. However, since this is the only release by Charli I haven't liked, I'm sure she'll be able to impress me with her next release, although nothing will ever match True Romance for me. Favorite Songs: Out of My Head, Femmebot, Porsche Rating: 4.5/10 MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent - Requested by MikeyRocks33 Wow. Just... wow. This is one of the best albums I've heard in awhile. I had never heard of this artist before listening to this album, so I was taken aback when St. Vincent started singing. She has such a beautiful voice, and I was captivated from beginning to end. I honestly don't have a lot else to say about this album, other than it was AMAZING. I definitely want to check out her other music now. Favorite Songs: Pills, Los Ageless, and Young Lover Rating: 8.5/10 Fifth Harmony by Fifth Harmony - Requested by FalcoLombardi99 I've been listening to Fifth Harmony since Reflection came out, and I've been putting off listening to this album to avoid disappointment. I loved their Reflection album, but I had mixed feelings about 7/27, because a lot of the album felt like filler. I only thoroughly enjoyed a couple songs. It didn't help that Camila left or that the album was recorded in such a short period of time. Because of all these factors, I had very low expectations for this album. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised. This is actually the first Fifth Harmony album where I've liked every single song on the album. It's rare that I find an album like that, as there is usually at least one that I have mixed feelings on. I even love Por Favor, and that's my least favorite song on the album. Something I noticed with this album is that it worked better than their last albums. Camila was usually the one who could be heard over everyone else, but I feel like their voices blended together better in this album than they ever have in the past. There wasn't really anyone this time who overshadowed everyone else. Honestly, the only problem I found with this album was Gucci Mane's feature on Down. I feel like he killed the flow of the song. It's still one of my favorites on the album, though. Favorite Songs: Down, He Like That, Make You Mad, Angel, and Messy Rating: 9/10 Make Out by LANY - Requested by GetLuck I chose to do an EP next, since EPs are a lot easier to review considering they're so short and don't take a whole lot of time. I love EPs because they're so concise and contain the best songs a singer has, since they're limited with how many tracks to put. This eliminates unnecessary filler tracks. This EP shows just why I love EPs so much. I loved every single song. When reviewing albums, I always put a mark next to the songs I loved a lot so I can remember them for future references. With this EP, every single song received a mark, so I'll definitely be listening to this EP again. I definitely feel this album growing on me more with time, as well. A lot of the songs I thought were just alright at first but by the time the last chorus hit, I was obsessed with them. As I listen to this EP more and more, I'm sure that these songs will grow on me a lot. Something I loved about this EP was its sound. Its sound was very raw, which made it very authentic. It wasn't overly produced and didn't have a bunch of bells and whistles, which made me appreciate the EP even more. In some ways, I found the sound to be a little similar to Maggie Rogers' EP "Now That The Light Is Fading." Favorite Songs: BRB, Made In Hollywood, and Bad, Bad Bad Rating: 9/10 Memories... Do Not Open by The Chainsmokers - Requested by Someone10000 Honestly, I've never gotten the hype over The Chainsmokers. In my opinion, they're mediocre artists making mediocre music. I actually used to like The Chainsmokers, before Drew started singing. It all went downhill from there. In my opinion, he's a horrible singer. Their music beforehand wasn't great, but it was definitely a lot better. Now, it's super cookie-cutter and sounds like the same music that everyone else is making. In fact, that's my biggest problem with this album. Drew's not singing a whole lot throughout this album (bless), so at least there's that. However, there's no originality or flavor with this album. All the songs sound the same, and sound like everything else being played on the radio. That's not to say this album was bad. It just was boring, because it's nothing new. I did thoroughly enjoy a few of the songs such as Bloodstream, Don't Say, and It Won't Kill Ya. However, the main reason I liked those songs was because of the featured artists. I'm a huge fan of Phoebe Ryan, so that made me like Bloodstream a lot more. I also like Louane's music, which made It Won't Kill Ya a lot better for me. I really like Emily Warren's voice, and that's what made me like Don't Say and My Type. Had these artists not been on these tracks, they wouldn't have stuck out to me. So, finally, this album wasn't bad or good in my opinion. It was very lackluster, but there were points that I enjoyed due to the featured artists. I probably wouldn't listen to this album again, save Bloodstream, Don't Say, and It Won't Kill Ya. Favorite Songs: Bloodstream, Don't Say, and It Won't Kill Ya Rating: 5/10 Siberia by Lights - Requested by GetLuck I've just been getting into Lights but she continuously impresses me with everything I've listened to by her. I've known about her for a couple years but only listened to her once Fight Club was featured on Just Dance. I then got the Skin&Earth album having just heard that one song, which was certainly a risk. I was amazed by that album. I truly love every single song on that album. Reading the comic brought a whole other level to the album. Each song goes so perfectly with each chapter of the comic. Skin&Earth is one of the only two albums of all time that I'd rate 10/10, with the other being Cry Baby by Melanie Martinez. With how much I loved that album, I went into Little Machines with high expectations. Again, I was brought into another world and could completely picture what Lights was singing about. Few artists have that ability on me. While I loved the album, I prefer Skin&Earth, and it will be very difficult for any album to even come close to topping it or Cry Baby. So again, I went into Siberia with high expectations. And again, I wasn't let down. This album, like the other two, had an amazing flow to it and made me forget where I was. Again, I loved every single song. Something that made this album special was Lights' voice. I don't know why, but it sounded more beautiful than in the other two albums I've listened to. I also thought this album had a very nice mix of songs, while still able to maintain a good flow to the album. Overall, this was an amazing album. Lights' voice, while always amazing, somehow had an even better quality in this album. This album is almost as good as Skin&Earth, but with that album, I don't just love every song. I'm obsessed with every song on that album, including Fight Club, which ended up becoming my least favorite on that album. Still, I'd rank this album as a 9.5, which is still a very rare ranking for me. Lights is a true talent. Favorite Songs: Where The Fence Is Low, Everybody Breaks a Glass, Heavy Rope, Timing is Everything, Cactus in the Valley, Flux and Flow, Frame and Focus, and Toes (Nightbox Remix) Rating: 9.5/10 BROODS by BROODS - Requested by Someone10000 This is actually the first time I've ever heard BROODS, so I had no idea what they'd sound like. I was pleasantly surprised by Georgia's voice, which is beautiful and calming, which worked well with the overall sound of the EP. I really liked the songs Never Gonna Change (the chorus actually reminded me a lot of Watch by Billie Eilish's bridge), Bridges, Sleep Baby Sleep, and Coattails. However, I couldn't really get into Pretty Thing or Taking You There. Those two tracks just didn't do anything for me. I could definitely see them growing on me though, as songs with this type of sound tend to do. Overall, I was impressed with this EP. I loved its sound paired with Georgia's voice. I might listen to it again to give Pretty Thing or Taking You There another chance. I'll be sure to check out BROODS' other work. Favorite Songs: Bridges and Coattails Rating: 7.5/10 A danada sou eu by Ludmilla - Requested by Stanley56 Believe me when I say that I had A LOT of fun with this album. This was another artist I had never listened to before, and I had actually never heard of her before. When I first began the album, I loved her voice so much that I had to rewind the first song (Cheguei) so I could re-hear her come in for the first time. Someone's voice rarely gets to me in that way. I thought the album was VERY well balanced. It didn't have too many dancey songs or too many ballads; it didn't have too many features or too many solo songs. You get the point. I also thought it had a very nice flow to it. I actually ended up loving the majority of the songs. The ones I didn't I can definitely see growing on me. I definitely will be checking out her other music with how much I loved this album. She has a very unique voice which definitely drew me in. Favorite Songs: Desapega, Tipo crazy, Nunca me vera chorar, and Duas doses de saudade Rating: 9/10 American Teen by Khalid - Requested by GetLuck I feel like Khalid has a voice that you either happen to love or hate. It's definitely a very unique voice, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone else that sounds remotely like him. A lot of people I know don't like him because of his voice, which I get. It's definitely very different, and it definitely took me some getting used to. The first song I heard by Khalid was Young Dumb & Broke. A YouTuber I watch (Mia Stammer) would frequently use the song in her "Then vs. Now" videos, and I honestly couldn't stand the song. I found it super annoying, and I couldn't stand Khalid's voice. A couple months later, I heard Young Dumb & Broke on the radio, not realizing at first that it was the same song. Hearing the entire song rather than 5-15 seconds of it made a huge difference, as I actually began to like the song. A week or so later, I became obsessed with the song. My opinion of it changed quite drastically, and I began to like his voice as well. After that, I heard the song Silence with Marshmello, which I liked even more. I then checked out Location. Silence was still my favorite, but I couldn't stop listening to Location. After being so impressed with these songs, I finally decided I'd listen to Khalid's album. I honestly wasn't really sure what to expect, as only two of the three songs I had heard where his own creations, and their sounds were pretty different. This is one of those albums where I don't even know what to say, which is always a good thing. It means the album took me on a ride that few are able to do. Each song (or at least most of them) was able to captivate me. I could appreciate every song for something different. Personally, I preferred the second half of the album. To me, it seemed a lot more heartfelt in comparison to the first half, which sounded more like radio tracks. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but the second half of the album was definitely more my cup of tea. This is also one of those albums that I think will get better with every listen. There were some songs that I definitely saw the potential, but couldn't really get into on this first listen. I always appreciate an album like that, because it keeps the album from getting stale. Favorite Songs: 8TEEN and Therapy Rating: 8.5/10 Ephorize by CupcakKe - Requested by Master Hydraffe Yes, I finally listened to this album. I kept on putting it off because, frankly, I had very low expectations for this album. I had never listened to CupcakKe before, but rap is not really my thing. Alright, my thing with this album is that where it was good, it was great. However, there were some, er, uncomfortable moments (Track #10 I'm looking right at you). That song took the vulgarness (is that a word?) to the max. While in some other songs it was laughable, that song was a little cringey and shocking. However, in other songs, vulgarity worked well. Take Duck Duck Goose for example. That song is quite vulgar, but that one I found more comical. The other song is more on the disturbing side. I actually quite enjoyed the first half of the album. That portion had some really cool messages (Crayons and Self Interview), was occasionally comical (Duck Duck Goose and Cinnamon Toast Crunch), and had pretty nice beats. However, I got a little bored with most of the songs after Self Interview. The album ultimately just felt a little too long. I think her style would work better with a more concise album, maybe around 10 songs. After that was just stretching it in my opinion. Overall, I had some tracks that I really liked and some that I really didn't. I probably wouldn't listen to the album as a whole again. I might just listen to the first half or listen to the songs that really appealed to me. A lot of my problems with this album also stem from me not being a huge rap fan. It's just not something I can listen to for too long without getting bored. Favorite Songs: Duck Duck Goose, Crayons, and Self Interview Rating: 6.5/10 Category:Blog posts